tonight.”
His warm breath was soft and tickled her ear.
“Don’t decide right now. Just think about it.”
Then as a bonus he kissed her, not a regular peck, but lustful, tongue laden, full-mouth kiss.
“Think about it,” he said, looking squarely in her eyes. Then he squeezed her hand and returned to his conversation.
Melanie clung to his hand, her heart pounding. Blood coursed through her, first draining to her toes before riding a roller coaster right back up to her woozy head.
The girls were talking yet she heard nothing – her blood was pumping, his words, his breath filling her. In her panic it seemed she’d forgotten to breathe. She was no longer Melanie, a whole person, she was a billion molecules frantically colliding into each other.
“Mel, I need you.” Trish was leaning over the chair behind Melanie.
Melanie saw the boys gape, each hoping her tank top would give away and reveal what little was hidden.
“What’s up?” Melanie asked, shaking, panting and dizzy.
“I met someone. Are you okay if I leave?”
Melanie took a quick look at Trish’s “someone” as Trish motioned for him to approach.
“Mel this is, um, what’s your name again?”
“Leo Miller.”
Leo was a completely average college student, brown shaggy hair, a few too many pounds around his midsection, wearing baggy jeans and an old faded gray T-shirt.
“You go to the U?’ Melanie quizzed.
“Yeah.”
“What’s your major?”
“Haven’t exactly decided. Liberal Arts, I guess.”
Trish handed her a slip of paper with Leo’s phone number.
“Okay, be safe, Trish.”
“Thanks, Mel.” Trish gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Trish and Leo hadn’t reached the front doors when Melanie was faced with a burst of her own reckless freedom. Danny’s hand, resting warmly on her leg, sent her pulse rising.
“Are we getting out of here?” She breathed softly in his ear.
“Yeah?” he asked sounding surprised and delighted.
“Yeah,” she answered with certainty.
Danny immediately stood. “We’ll catch you guys later.”
He grabbed her hand, ignoring the questions from his confused friends, and whisked her toward the swinging front doors. The crisp night air came in puffs as replacements for exiting patrons were let in. Melanie could barely feel the chill on her burning cheeks.
“Dan the Man! Dan the Man!” The cheers echoed across the noisy, smoky nightclub.
A group of bulky guys blocked the exit. Danny lowered his head and gave a faint groan.
“Hey guys.”
The primal male greeting was that of low grunts, expanded chests, body slamming, all combined with a bit of wrestling. These guys were more “in your face” than Danny’s other friends and Melanie liked them better for it.
“Melanie, these are my rugby mates, Kyle, Reed, Tony, Roy, Fletch, Wally and Hank. Guys, this is Melanie. We were just leaving.”
“What happened to Carolyn?” As the words were escaping Roy’s – or was it Tony’s? – lips one of the other mates slapped him across the head.
“You don’t ask that with her standing there.” The teammates started arguing among themselves and Danny and Melanie slipped away, but not before hearing the rest of the conversation.
“I heard he called out another girl’s name when he was banging Carolyn.”
The howling drunken laughter abruptly died when Danny spun around and grabbed Tony or Kyle – they all looked alike to Melanie – by the shirt and shoved him hard against the wall.
Melanie stepped back as the rest of the team rushed in, yelling at Danny to get off Tony. They pulled at his shoulders while Danny shook them off, undeterred, getting right into Tony’s panicked face. “Watch your fucking mouth!”
Danny pushed Tony into the rest of the group and grabbed Melanie’s hand, swinging her around and out the open doors into the chilly night air.
Melanie jogged to keep up. What had she just heard?
“Danny, slow down.”
She pulled at his hand and dug her heels into
His warm breath was soft and tickled her ear.
“Don’t decide right now. Just think about it.”
Then as a bonus he kissed her, not a regular peck, but lustful, tongue laden, full-mouth kiss.
“Think about it,” he said, looking squarely in her eyes. Then he squeezed her hand and returned to his conversation.
Melanie clung to his hand, her heart pounding. Blood coursed through her, first draining to her toes before riding a roller coaster right back up to her woozy head.
The girls were talking yet she heard nothing – her blood was pumping, his words, his breath filling her. In her panic it seemed she’d forgotten to breathe. She was no longer Melanie, a whole person, she was a billion molecules frantically colliding into each other.
“Mel, I need you.” Trish was leaning over the chair behind Melanie.
Melanie saw the boys gape, each hoping her tank top would give away and reveal what little was hidden.
“What’s up?” Melanie asked, shaking, panting and dizzy.
“I met someone. Are you okay if I leave?”
Melanie took a quick look at Trish’s “someone” as Trish motioned for him to approach.
“Mel this is, um, what’s your name again?”
“Leo Miller.”
Leo was a completely average college student, brown shaggy hair, a few too many pounds around his midsection, wearing baggy jeans and an old faded gray T-shirt.
“You go to the U?’ Melanie quizzed.
“Yeah.”
“What’s your major?”
“Haven’t exactly decided. Liberal Arts, I guess.”
Trish handed her a slip of paper with Leo’s phone number.
“Okay, be safe, Trish.”
“Thanks, Mel.” Trish gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Trish and Leo hadn’t reached the front doors when Melanie was faced with a burst of her own reckless freedom. Danny’s hand, resting warmly on her leg, sent her pulse rising.
“Are we getting out of here?” She breathed softly in his ear.
“Yeah?” he asked sounding surprised and delighted.
“Yeah,” she answered with certainty.
Danny immediately stood. “We’ll catch you guys later.”
He grabbed her hand, ignoring the questions from his confused friends, and whisked her toward the swinging front doors. The crisp night air came in puffs as replacements for exiting patrons were let in. Melanie could barely feel the chill on her burning cheeks.
“Dan the Man! Dan the Man!” The cheers echoed across the noisy, smoky nightclub.
A group of bulky guys blocked the exit. Danny lowered his head and gave a faint groan.
“Hey guys.”
The primal male greeting was that of low grunts, expanded chests, body slamming, all combined with a bit of wrestling. These guys were more “in your face” than Danny’s other friends and Melanie liked them better for it.
“Melanie, these are my rugby mates, Kyle, Reed, Tony, Roy, Fletch, Wally and Hank. Guys, this is Melanie. We were just leaving.”
“What happened to Carolyn?” As the words were escaping Roy’s – or was it Tony’s? – lips one of the other mates slapped him across the head.
“You don’t ask that with her standing there.” The teammates started arguing among themselves and Danny and Melanie slipped away, but not before hearing the rest of the conversation.
“I heard he called out another girl’s name when he was banging Carolyn.”
The howling drunken laughter abruptly died when Danny spun around and grabbed Tony or Kyle – they all looked alike to Melanie – by the shirt and shoved him hard against the wall.
Melanie stepped back as the rest of the team rushed in, yelling at Danny to get off Tony. They pulled at his shoulders while Danny shook them off, undeterred, getting right into Tony’s panicked face. “Watch your fucking mouth!”
Danny pushed Tony into the rest of the group and grabbed Melanie’s hand, swinging her around and out the open doors into the chilly night air.
Melanie jogged to keep up. What had she just heard?
“Danny, slow down.”
She pulled at his hand and dug her heels into
Similar Books
